Men start competing in synchronized swimming (pic)

Hundreds of people witnessed an unbelievable show in one of swimming pools in Prague: men were competing in synchronized swimming. Swimmers from four countries - Sweden, Holland, the Czech Republic and France - were making figures of stars in the water, exposing their hairy chests, moving their hairy legs above the water surface, or swinging their backsides. The viewers of the unusual show were amazed with the push-off in splits.

The unconventional competition in Prague became possible owing to the activity of the Czech swimming team. The men in the team perform in striped trunks. Team captain Martin Kopecky prefers not to argue when someone says that his team is one of the weirdest sports teams in the world. The sportsman says, however, that women are allowed to play soccer, compete in weight-lifting and wrestle. The desperate man was not left alone: he organized a team of male supporters, who apparently decided to defend men's sports in the athletic world. Until recently, synchronized swimming competitions among men have been held only at European gay & lesbian games.

"We hope that synchronized swimming among men will be included in the program of the forthcoming Olympic Games," Martin Kopecky said summarizing the water show in Prague. Viewers were joking that men would therefore be soon competing in ribbon gymnastics and men's pair skating.

Not that long ago, American soldiers would train their skills to counter insurgent and partisan military organizations. These days, they are trained to show resistance to the regular army of a potential adversary